Some Of Our Favorite Things … From HD Expo

Earlier this month a group of lucky FRCH-ers took to the floors of The Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, to attend this year’s Hospitality Design Expo (HD Expo) conference. This three day show offers a glimpse into the most innovative products and services in the hospitality industry. Bringing together the interior design industry, architects, owners/operators, developers, specifiers and purchasers to view the best available resources for their projects. While the trade show is full of amazing products here were our favorite things from this year’s show…

One of the benefits of going to conferences such as these is that you get to see manufacturers go all out to show you what they can do. The result is that you can find gems like this metal detail in the headboard. (Manufacturer: Fairmont)

This booth was showcasing their casegood abilities, but what I gravitated towards was this faux fireplace. This product was incredibly realistic, and was created with a just combination of mist and LEDs. (Manufacturer: Dimplex)

At first glance, this tile looked like it was individually pieced together (ie an install nightmare and high cost) but in reality it’s a 2′ square tile and priced competitively. (Manufacturer: Arizona Tile)

This hand dryer markets itself as having ‘air hugs technology’ — little outlets that allow the air to cover as much of the area of your hands as possible. So not only does it look great, but it’s optimized for efficiency and functionality. (Manufacturer: FFuuss)

At HD, there are a lot of huge vendors that are well known in the industry, but you also get to find smaller manufacturers just introducing themselves to the hospitality industry. This husband and wife team developed cordless table lamps with LED battery backs, as well as, a reading lamp which incorporates a mobile charging system. (Manufacturer: Modern Lantern)

It was pretty exciting to see the capabilities manufacturers now have with LED lighting. The reason this image is special is because we’re usually limited to using pendants with opaque shades, because owners aren’t interested in a bulb with a (relatively) short lifespan (ie vintage Edison bulbs), but with LEDs, you get a similar feel with a longer lasting light source. (Manufacturer: Feiss)

SLS Hotel — This hotel is the old Sahara Hotel property that rebranded to the SLS Hotel and opened late in 2014. It functions much like a typical casino, but what is interesting is how they tried to push beyond what a casino is ‘supposed’ to look like. I was most impressed by the carpet and how unique the ‘pattern’ (if you could call it that) was; there didn’t seem to be a straight seam in the place, patterns overlapped and sometimes the pattern was just a grouping of photos.

Welcome to FRCH | Creative Fuel

FRCH | Creative Fuel is an eclectic mix of thoughts, points of view and insights about the things that inspire the employees of FRCH Design Worldwide. Our contributors have a diverse range of interests and backgrounds. They work hard, play hard and are here to share their experiences with you!

Meet our Contributors

Barb Beeghly
Inspired by great visual and merchandise presentation and a passion for travel, Barb will wow us with some of her favorite retail experiences from around the world. Quick to record ideas with her smartphone camera, Barb always brings home great shots of the latest and greatest retail.

Tracy Bender
Tracy’s energy level is infectious, her genuine disposition and eternally optimistic personality make her an asset to our team. She’ll continually delight us with her insights into graphic, packaging and fashion design.

Phillip Freer
Phillip’s passion for the dramatic is apparent in all areas of his life. An accomplished designer, illustrator and talented craftsman, his eye for detail and creativity come to life through DIY projects and renderings. Phillip will capture the magic of visualization and theme design as it relates to parks, retail and resorts.

Emily Hamilton
Looking at experiences through a marketing lens, Emily’s background of web design and social media lend itself to all things digital. Following the belief that the best way to learn is hands on, she brings a fresh perspective to the retail industry.

Wondering who tagged the columns in the FRCH lobby? Our resident graffiti artist is also
a talented engineer and band frontman who will share inspiration from the world of music and architecture.

Chad Marchese
With his finger on the pulse of design and consumer trends, Chad energizes us with his range of insights into the world of strategic graphic design. His passion for all music genres has found him attending somewhere around three thousand live music events and collecting hundreds of vinyl albums.